Gary Fitleberg, January 11, 2005

Arab nations have done little if nothing to help their Muslim brethren and people who were Tsunami victims. Instead they accused America and Israel of causing the disaster by conducting nuclear testing in the area.

American and Israel, not the Arabs, on the other hand, have come to aid the tsunami victims while Arab Muslims do nothing and remain silent.

An El Al jet delivered tsunami aid to Indonesia, a rare open contact between Israel and the world’s most populous Muslim state.

The El Al airlift landed Tuesday in Indonesia, which was hard hit by last month’s tsunami, after behind-the-scenes coordination between Jerusalem and Jakarta. Indonesia does not recognize the Jewish state, but Israeli officials expressed hope that ties could be normalized following the donation of clothes and food.

The last open contact between the two countries was in 1994, when then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin passed through Indonesia briefly on his way to Japan.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Fitleberg